Omeka: photography and scanning

Before you start

Don't handle any items — paper, photos, or artifacts — without first reading Safe handling of artifacts and documents.

Photographs

Omeka accepts photographs as attachments to all types of collections and records. The quality of phone cameras today makes them acceptable for Omeka images. When taking photographs, follow these guidelines:

• Items should be large, filling most of the frame. It is acceptable to crop the photo down after it is taken.
• They should be on a plain, non-distracting background, preferably black. Nothing but the object should be visible (nothing in the background).
• They should be well and evenly lit. In particular, make sure your own shadow or camera’s shadow isn’t over the object.
• They should avoid reflections or glare. This can be difficult; in some cases, it will require a special photography setup. In those cases, talk with the Director (or just move to an easier subject). If possible, remove the object from containers (bags, frames, etc.) so you are photographing the object directly, not through plastic or glass.
• They should avoid shadows, particularly the shadow of you or your camera. Change your orientation such that light is coming from a side.
• They should be in focus; note that blur can be caused both by camera motion (hold it very still!) and by the camera being out of focus. The latter is often caused by the camera being too close to the object.
• No flash. A flash “flattens” the object, blanketing it with even light that obscures textures, shadows, and shapes.
• You usually need multiple pictures — one for each significant view or point of interest. For example, a coin would usually have two photos, front and back. Depending on the object you might have pictures of the back, bottom, sides, or inside.
• Take additional closeup photographs of original labels, identifying or manufacturer's marks, artistic elements, noteworthy construction details (e.g., an interesting hand-made hinge), or significant damage.
• Use the light box to have a professional, quick, easy, controlled setting. There is a built-in light, which is turned on and off with a switch on a wire coming out the top back corner of the box. The background can be changed between white and black. There is a lid covering a round hole in the top, allowing straight-down photos.

Scanning

We have two scanners: a flatbed scanner, and a book scanner. They have very different uses and the quality of output is extremely different.

Flatbed scanner

The flatbed scanner is the only choice for photographs or high-quality scans of flat documents. It can also scan some small objects, like coins. It uses Epson scanning software.

What resolution should I use?

The answer varies based on use. High resolutions are not always better. As a general rule of thumb, if you are scanning typical archive documents for Omeka, 300dpi is sufficient. If you sense that a document is very special, it might be worth bumping that up to 600dpi. For our purposes, there are very few reasons to scan at higher resolutions.

Book scanner

The book scanner is a special-use tool; it is primarily designed to digitize books, creating a searchable PDF version. It has lower-quality scanning, with relatively poor color and photo scans; it makes up for this with other features like flattening and de-skewing the scans automatically.